The Four Color Media Monitor

KC Carlson, who was once an editor for DC Comics, provides a good description of what they've become at Westfield Comics:

What, No DC Recommendations? Nope. I’m giving DC a big time-out this month for bad behavior – the publication of Justice League: Cry For Justice, Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal (especially #3), and Titans: Villains for Hire Special. These are three prime examples of the new DC, where death, maiming, children in peril (and ultimately murdered), queasy sexual undertones, sadistic torture, heroes who cold-bloodedly kill, on-screen use of hard drugs, and the general increase of torture-porn elements in its mainstream superhero titles (none of which have any kind of mature reader warnings) has caused this reviewer to stop pre-recommending DC Universe product before I see what it actually is. (That is, I no longer believe what is being fed to us in the DC solicitations.) The general darkness and hopelessness of most of the ongoing DC Universe books, including publishing a series of relentlessly grim comics under the banner of “Brightest Day” (ever hear of Truth in Advertising laws?) has now made me leery of the entire line. As a former DC editor, I am very familiar with the need for conflict to tell powerful and effective stories. However, this current trend of shock storytelling has finally crossed a line. It’s astounding to me that a company with DC’s rich history has now resorted to publishing the comic book equivalent of snuff films to regain lost market share and internet buzz.

Enough. DC – go stand in the corner until you’ve thought about what you’ve done.

And don't forget to wear the pointy duncecap while you're there. Here's a page on Kotaku with 2 scans from BD #2 that show the alien disguised as a rock group mother murdering the father with an electric knife, and then beating the children to death. Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi, among others, have a LOT of answering and explaining to do, and I'm still waiting for that debate on television between DC and their detractors. For now, it's clear they'll do everything they can to avoid taking responsibility and owing up to their grevious errors and misuse of the legendary properties they've been allowed to get a hold of.

Labels: dc comics, dreadful writers, Titans, violence